Rock, roll and race: On a spirited half-marathon through the streets of Lisbon

Rock, roll and race: On a spirited run through the streets of Lisbon

Their philosophy is “smiles over sweat,” and at first city by city and now country by country, the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon series is steadily revolutionizing the sport. What began as a literal life or death race — to alert Athenians that their side had won, the historical origin of the marathon distance competition in 490 BC — is now largely the domain of first-time runners, recreational athletes and people who, like myself this past weekend in Lisbon, combine short races with their vacation time.

“Our ultimate goal is to affect the health of the nation — we want to help institute change everywhere we go,” says Scott Dickey, CEO of Competitor Group, the growing San Diego-based company that owns the Rock ’n’ Roll series and is currently seeking recapitalization with a private investment firm in New York. “Running is something we see more and more people getting involved with and our aim is to be one of the biggest health and wellness companies in the world.”

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In 2013, there will be 26 Rock ’n’ Roll marathons in the U.S., five in Europe and one, which premiered last month in Montreal, in Canada. The day before my half-marathon in Lisbon, there were 100,000 people in the streets in protest of austerity cutbacks, and it seemed like a tense time to hold a run through those same streets. But the company keeps moving forward: In April, the world’s largest running series will move into Madrid, where demonstrations have grown violent between protestors and the police. If the European climate seems to have enough homegrown problems clogging traffic, the Rock ’n’ Roll brain trust says, nevertheless, the run will go on.

“The race in Lisbon is well-established. They’ve held it for 21 years, and all we did was partner with them, adding some new flare,” says Shannon Davis, event marketing manager of the group’s European races, which are expected to continue growing next year.

One Portuguese race official I spoke with, who didn’t want to be named, acknowledged that his country was in the midst of an unemployment crisis, but that his countrymen can produce 14 euros ($18) to race. “Even when there’s no money,” he says, “they find money for this.”

The race began at 10:30 on a hot, cloudless Sunday morning, and more than 20,000 people from 31 countries turned out. Elite runners were in town from Ethiopia, Kenya and Zimbabwe — although the prize money is low, one agent told me these events are a great opportunity to secure sponsorship funds — and the race began on the Ponte Vasco da Gama, Europe’s longest bridge. I once dreamt of taking off with the lead pack and trying to hold on, but after running a half in Oakville last Sunday, I decided to embrace the core philosophy of the Rock ’n’ Roll runs.

I jogged. And smiled. And then a funny thing happened: At 15 kilometres, a Portuguese runner encouraged me on. He told me we could take turns shielding each other from the wind, and we did that, and I sped up, and the next thing I knew, this guy and I were drawing applause from the people in the streets (some of whom, you’d have to figure, were on these same streets a day earlier, in protest).

I’m biased, obviously, but I do believe the spirit of a race can lift a city’s emotions. Obviously a cash-strapped country in need of more cash-strapping won’t be saved by closing highways for runners, but the economic bump in the U.S. for the host city of a Rock ’n’ Roll race is estimated to be US$21-million, and there’s a reason runs are now held everywhere from Libya to Belgrade to Cape Town. They’re a signal of health, for both the population and the infrastructure of the city that’s putting them on.

In Portugal, I received a warm welcome and there was plenty of local encouragement during the race. Currently seeking more capital, the Competitor Group seems like it’s caught the spirit of today’s runner — someone looking to be social, be healthy and have a good time. It’s obviously a tricky moment to be holding races in Europe, but the upcoming months should say a lot. After Madrid, the next European Rock ’n’ Roll marathon is in Ireland.

—Join the community on our NP Running Facebook page and tell us about your experiences during the 2012 marathon season, and follow Ben Kaplan on Twitter to stay hooked in to the latest in running developments: @NP_RunningBen.

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